Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92–463, notice is hereby given of three meetings of the Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup/Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Program Benefits, Costs and Impacts (BCI) Review Panel (UST/RCRA BCI Review Panel, or “the Panel”) of the Executive Committee of the US EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB). The Panel will meet on the dates and times noted below. All times noted are Eastern Time. All meetings are open to the public, however, seating is limited and available on a first come basis. For teleconference meetings, available lines may also be limited.
In 1996, the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) began to develop methodologies to better characterize the costs and benefits (including environmental, health, and other human welfare benefits) and other impacts of its various environmental programs. As a first step, OSWER staff identified a set of program attributes that describe a broad range of potential impacts that may result from OSWER programs. This list of attributes included the traditional economic benefit/cost measures, but also went beyond them to try to capture other program features and factors that influence the design, implementation, and performance of OSWER programs and that OSWER managers believed were important to characterize in any analysis of the performance of their programs (
The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB, Board) announced in 66 FR 44343–44344, August 23, 2001, that it has been asked to undertake a review of the Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup and Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C Program Benefits, Costs and Impacts. The Board invited nominations for consideration on the review panel being formed. The SAB's process for panel formation has been designed for three purposes: to help the Board meet EPA's legal requirements; to be transparent to the public, so the public can understand and participate in the process; and to help the Board fulfill its mission. Approximately 2-dozen nominations were received in response to the
The expertise appropriate to address the charge questions includes environmental economics, preferably with (a) experience in waste and groundwater contamination issues; (b) experience with EPA's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) program and Underground Storage Tank (UST) program; (c) demonstrated knowledge of waste and groundwater contamination issues, particularly in the RCRA and UST; and (d) social science perspectives.
The criteria for selecting Panel members include (a) recognized expertise; (b) impartiality and objectivity; (c) absence of conflicts of interest; (d) availability to participate fully in the review, which will be conducted over a relatively short time frame (
The Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup/Resource Conservation Revovery Act (RCRA) Program Benefits, Costs and Impacts Review Panel of the Executive Committee of the US EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) will meet on Thursday, May 9, 2002 via teleconference from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm Eastern Time. This teleconference meeting will be convened in Conference Room 6013, USEPA, Ariel Rios Building North, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. The meeting is open to the public, however, due to limited space, seating will be on a first-come basis—the public may also attend via telephone, however, lines may be limited. For further information concerning the meeting or how to obtain the phone number, please contact the individuals listed at the end of this FR notice.
The purpose of this public teleconference meeting is to: (a) Discuss the Charge and the adequacy of the review materials provided to the Panel; (b) to clarify any questions and issues relating to the charge and the review materials; (c) to discuss specific charge assignments to the Panelists; and (d) to clarify specific points of interest raised by the Panelists in preparation for the face-to-face meeting to be held on Monday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 21, 2002.
The Underground Storage Tanks UST Cleanup Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Program Benefits, Costs and Impacts (BCI) Review Panel (Panel) of the Executive Committee of the US EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) will conduct a public meeting on Monday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 21, 2002. The meeting will begin on Monday, May 20, 2002 at 9 am and adjourn no later than 5:30 pm that day. On May 21, 2002, the meeting may begin at 8:30 am and adjourn no later than 5:30 pm. The meeting will take place in the Large Conference Room 1117 in the EPA East Headquarters Building, 1201 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For further information concerning the meeting, please contact the individuals listed at the end of this FR notice.
The purpose of this meeting is to conduct a review of the UST and RCRA Title C Benefit, Cost and Impact documents. In particular, the Panel will: (a) Engage in dialogue with appropriate officials from the Agency who are responsible for preparation and utilization of the draft documents dated October, 2000; (b) receive public comments on the technical issues involved and; (c) begin to prepare responses to the Charge questions (see below).
The Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) is requesting that the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) review the following documents: “
Depending on progress achieved in developing its advisory from the May 20–21, 2002 meeting, the Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup/Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Program Benefits, Costs and Impacts (BCI) Review (Panel) of the Executive Committee of the Science Advisory Board (SAB) may convene in a public teleconference on Tuesday, June 18 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. This purpose contingency meeting would provide an opportunity for the Panel to reach closure on a consensus draft in a public forum. If held, the meeting will be convened in Conference Room 6013, US EPA, Ariel Rios Building North, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. The meeting is open to the public, however, due to limited space, seating will be on a first-come basis—the public may also attend via telephone, however, lines may be limited. For further information concerning the meeting or how to obtain the phone number, please contact the individuals listed at the end of this FR notice.
The public is encouraged to attend the meeting in the conference room noted above, however, a limited number of the public may also attend through a telephonic link. Additional instructions about how to participate in the meeting can be obtained by calling the individuals listed below prior to the meeting (
Any member of the public wishing further information concerning these meetings or who wish to submit brief oral comments must contact Dr. K. Jack Kooyoomjian, Designated Federal Officer, of the Panel, USEPA Science Advisory Board (1400A), Suite 6450BB, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone/voice mail at (202) 564–4557; fax at (202) 501–0582; or via e-mail at
Members of the public desiring additional information about the meeting locations or the call-in number for the teleconference, should contact Ms. Renee Cooper, Acting Management Assistant, U.S. EPA, EPA Science Advisory Board (1400A), Suite 6450, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone/voice mail at (202) 564–2526; fax at (202) 501–0582; or via e-mail at
A copy of the draft agenda for each meeting will be posted on the SAB Web site (
There are two primary documents that are the subject of the review. The review documents are available electronically at the following site
The above supporting documents are available for viewing at the OSWER Docket, located at Crystal Gateway I, First Floor, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA. The Docket Identification number is F–2002–USBN–FFFFF. The OSWER Docket is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. To review docket materials, it is recommended that the public make an appointment by calling 703 603–9230. The public may copy a maximum of 100 pages from any regulatory docket at no charge. Additional copies cost $0.15/page. The public can also contact the OSWER Docket by facsimile (703–603–9234), e-mail (
It is the policy of the EPA Science Advisory Board to accept written public comments of any length, and to accommodate oral public comments whenever possible. The EPA Science Advisory Board expects that public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted oral or written statements.
Individuals requiring special accommodation at this meeting, including wheelchair access to the conference room, should contact Dr. Kooyoomjian at least five business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
Additional information concerning the Science Advisory Board, its structure, function, and composition, may be found on the SAB Web site (